Six Flags Over Cahors

We decided to head into the interior. We saw most of the coast in 2010; and the weather seemed more agreeable on the inside. After bypassing rainy Bordeaux we landed at length in Cahors, the capital of the Lot (the local big famous river and its political subdivision). We were in Cahors in 1989, with Rachel and Rebecca. Just a campground between stops at Lascaux II, Peche Merle, Rocamadour (in the bosom of Abraham), and St. Cirq LaPoopie. The Cahors campground was the one with the outdoor pissoir right next to our site. Very educational.

This time, we drove right into Cahors looking for one of the three aire de camping-car sites on the big river, and we found one. Next day,Wednesday, we thought we'd cross the bridge and go to the Wednesday market, assuming there was one. It was May 1, Labor Day in France, a very big political holiday with just about everything closed except bars and tabacs, restaurants and hotels. Then see the cathedral and then the bridge for which Cahors is most famous, then head on to Sarlat. But no holiday is too big for the marche. We spent an hour or two there, then an hour or two looking at the cathedral and the Renaissance buildings of the old town, then a couple more doing internet at a bar, then a couple more seeing the bridge. Then we decided to spend another day in Cahors, resting, doing more internet, more research for the France segment of the trip, and enjoying relatively warm and dry weather.

Oh yes, nearly forgot: Cahors was the capital of the traditional province of Quercy, Gallic, then Roman, then held for a time by the Moors, then French, then English (Henry IV & Falstaff sacked the place), then French again. Then of course the German occupation during WWII. Then French again. Is that six?

1989, St. Cirq LaPoopie: the issue here, as we recall, was discovering that the
pizza had goat cheese on it and picking out the edible parts

Fast forward to 2013: market day, Labor Day, Cahors; we'll get to the cathedral
later, of course; the market was wonderful, much more food than crap; and it's spring:
white asparagus

Spring weather is here too, and the day turned out sunny and nice

Cahors is situated on a U-turn of the river Lot; here's one of the dams...

In the old town, a cobbler's shop

Serious cobbler's chop

Street scene (OK, it's a holiday, everybody's having lunch...)

Rotary meets here (click to enlarge sign)

For sale, tower included

Another likely fixer-upper; but look closely: this one's got a Renaissance window
that is probably worth more than  the whole building...

Main square and statue of Gambetta, local political hero
(1870 and all that)

Land of contrasts: the tourist hay-ride guy takes a call

The real problem with Cahors is this is where they perfected the Malbec grape
and you can hardly walk half a block without someone demanding you try a taste
of the Carte Noir...well, it's a problem for some people, I understand